mecca.

heaven.

the answer to all of my life questions.

that is what i envisioned murray's cheese to be.

i was let down.

don't get me wrong-
they've got the most amount of cheeses i've ever seen under one roof,

but they sure know how to burst an excited cheese loving girl's bubble.

it started when i was having an afternoon tea at the aroma cafe on 72nd street.

i suddenly went

from neutral

to starving

to mac & cheese craving.

i decided that a nice

whole wheat penne

a pecorino romano sauce

would do the deed.

but if i'm going to use only one cheese in my mac,

it better be a good one.

this, i concluded, was a job for murray.

my shopping list was simple:

1. a little block of the
sharpest,
tangiest,
most pungent
pecorino money can buy
{for the mac}

2. a bit of mr. cheese's favorite pick
{to munch on while making the mac}

i entered the bleecker storefront,

expecting to see a shining light and to hear the voice of angels.

instead all i heard was my very own voice.

"HELLLLLLLO!"

i excitedly said to the old man behind the counter,
to which he answered with a halting stare.

i backed off.
what do i do?
quick, find a cheese.

"oooook. ummmm. ok. can i try this gii...giiinnnnepro right here? is that how i say it?"

he silently raised a very large knife with a chunk of it at the end.

it was pretty bad.

cheese should not take baths in balsamic vinegar.

"ohh. and do you have any sharper pecorino/parmesan-like cheeses?"

he pointed behind me to the prepackaged parmesan.

"may i taste them?"

"no."

at least he spoke.
but did it have to be in that, "how dare you?" tone?!

"...ohhhh k. then can you suggest one that i can taste?"

meh.

"...hmm. and what about that one?"

whatever.

"...how about the drunken goat cheese? do you like that one???"

am i talking to a wall here?

why is he so annoyed at me?
there is NO ONE ELSE IN THIS STORE.

screw it.

"just gimme some of that goat stuff so i can get out of here, mr cheese dude."

and i was out of there.

you see, i like to make friends with the people behind the counter.

...to have a dialogue about the cheese,

see what they suggest,

see what their faves are,

see what's a bit sharper,

maybe softer,

something like this

but from a goat...?

like, when i asked the man at whole foods what his fave was,

i discovered epoisses!
which turned out to be one of MY faves!

and when i asked the man at fairway for something tangy

he first complimented me on my hat :-)

then suggested midnight moon.

which hit the spot!

how am i supposed to expand my cheese knowledge when THE cheese guy treats you like an idiot?

poop.

poopity poop poop poop.

anyways.

i got home and realized that my little mac & cheese making casserole dish was being used for seven layer bars.

enter:

the cupcake pan

and the creation of

the mac & cheese cupcake

with ketchup in lieu of frosting

:-)

they were yummy. and roomies loved them too!

{in your stupid face, mr. cheese man}

xoxo

yeh